Composition for stiffening paper match splints



Patented July 28, 1953 COMPOSITION FOR. STIFEENING PAPER MATCH SPLINIES Herbert Ellern, Ferguson, Mo:,=.-assignor:-to.Unia i versal Match-Gorporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation. of Delaware iris-cur; 051F165;

This invention relates in general to certain new anduseful improvements in methods and -.mate-. rialsv for stiffening. paper'match splints. and, more particularly, to methods and agents for impreg-:--

after the .act of; strikin ivtis :detormed,-- :Dartly broken-through; and-occasionally brokerrinto two. pieces. -.This flimsiness .of "the book-match causes-,1 many people .120 avoid thehvuse 3511108 they are nating. formed paper match splints for increasing" afraid of getting burned in the act of,striking,, the -strength and generalutility thereof,- and the due to the-proximity .of the fin fi iSitothe point ofu; present application is a division of my co-pending ignition, and they are; unwillin rprvima l 13 application which ha now matured into United submitto a routine of quickly ishiftingthe -fi -nge rs States Letters ,Patent: No.- 2,495,575, issued -Jana form of dexterity which is not neededirrthe 11 6.5;- uaryyza 9501 of the highly rigid wooden match lnitheimanuf'acturevof book-matches, a webof On the other hand, there is ;-an:,-.inc r easing;i;:, a certain type otcardboard: is transformed in a scarcity of wood suitablefor wood-,-match;makin%, punch-press; or by other means, into so-called: as well as an enormous waste in;such woodsb strips or combs consisting of a solid stripcf cause of the need of producing-, 'flawless wood cardboard e. g. 12 inches wide and 1 5* inches blocks vfree-from.knots:and: cm fiflssfi fir -ro llw high,.from-which extendnormally 100 sticksorthermore, theAneed for;shipping;-WoodblookS-.;.. splints, each commonly 1% inches long and A; from remote wooded reg ns-$015 6 c nt rso a inchwideol'Thecaliperor thickness of :thematchmatch manufacture createsa substantial freight: board is usually; around 0.040 inch, the "apparent problem.=, In addition,-match+splin zcutt s:91 1, density'of the board is close to0.70;- In the fur- .20 erations not -only:require. the use-obverwsmallm the'r process of'book-matchmaking, the-tips-of wood-blocks which;zmustgbewhandr ed-r fl t the: splints. are immersed to a smallira'ction of anmachine; but. alsorequire experienced ,operators, inch into molten-paraifin whereby a small part because the blocks-must :be -fed only ina certain ,-l (usually to /2 inch) of the splint is impreg--= directioninreference toithe direction ofthe-grai-n, nated withparafiin; for-the purpose :of later -ento avoid oblique splitting of the plints.- abling' the ignited-pyrotechnic- :mixture form-i-ng It is, therefore, the primaryobjeot :Of thetpresewthe headi-to transferits fiameto the stick which i ent invention'toprovi e methodssa d-materialotherwise would not catch fire. for. makingaan improved paper match-splintsofw For purposes of economy; the-parafiin used for such rigidityandbreaking stren h- 3 6 31 1 r 'pF' this-impregnation is mostly a crude yellow or proaches the strength of awooden-splintlofiequal,, white parafiinofhig-h-oil content andlow-meltdimensions; ing-point-and; therefore, fairly soft at roomtem It "is also an objectof the present inventiontom perature;--Bettergrades-of--paraffin-are-used-0c-- provide impregnants-for treatment. of ,-match;- casionally in smaller --factories,- but, in any case,- board whichare-inexpensive, low ,-.me lting,,, which the sole purpose of the'impregnation has always burnfreely without producing, soot, or :noxious", been the need for easy transfer of flame'tothefumes-and which are lowvin viscosity at the:tema..- stick and meta modification-of the physical prop-w perature range in which treatmentis carried out erties of the splint. In fact, whenever, by-acci It; is, f urthermore, an,obje.ct.0f thepresent dent, the impregnation exceeds the usual length vention tolcreatea papenmatch-splintof greatly. 'of imbibitiome. g. during a stop in operation, 40 reduced-width, increasing the numberoftlights such match splints are regardedas-waste and are per boolgfor-the,,samearea of- .front,age,. while, destroyedstillzmaintaining a strength superior ,to the ,regu- It is -wel1- known-thatthebook-matchsplint is larpapersplint, thusnot only, saving paperboard, muchinferiorin strength to the wooden=match.- b t lsqreducing,theampunt ofheadcomposition, Notwithstanding its Width of 0.125 inchpit is u t ith mall,orossrsect nnof.the,tip, necessary to r p th splint r y close to the It is also anohiect of, ,thisinvention.130,.1319:A head-and withdraw the fingers immediately after videaa b00 -m ohofgreat1y reduced width, but.,,.. the lighting has-taken-place;-and-when-thepaper increased thi kn s. r caliper, approaching more match is drawn-acrossthe striking-stripwith the or l uare-cross section,thus.creating a wider -eolge -of the headand-stick-facing--and b k m ,t h. hi h no matterwhich point of-,the, pressed against "the striking-surface, dangenof surface of the headis pressed-against. the, strikrlc breakage is even greater. While individual habits ing ,surface, will have higher-rigidity ,and ,breakrvary widelyas tothe pressure appliedand posi ing-tstrengthsuperior to th ,conventionaL-booka, tions of the match in the act of striking, it frematch, and which,- aside ofeotheradvantages, quentlys'happens: Ithattthe gpaper match-sp t; :e. gMreduot o ii-n dim n nsz,of.splin lama: d;s

3 cover area, also take a much smaller head than an ordinary book-match.

It is, furthermore, an object of the present invention to adapt the methods and materials of the present invention to conventional methods of book-match splint production, for the manufacture of an improved match splint, such as a splint of approximately square cross-section.

It is another object of the present invention to eliminate and replace the customary pai'affining of the splint without requiring elaborate, costly, or space-consuming changes or additional equipment.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel processes and compositions of matter presently described and pointed out in the claims.

Broadly speaking, my invention comprises the treatment of match-board, during the course of its progress through the match-making process, with a relatively inexpensive, low-melting impregnant, which burns freely without objectionable smell or soot, and which is low in viscosity in the temperature range in which treatment is carried out. It is also possible to employ combinations of impregnating substances with or without admixture of resinous substances and other modifying agents which, at a suitable temperature, form a homogeneous or practically homogeneous melt, are easily and quickly imbibed into the immersed cut splint, filling the interstices between, and binding together, the fibers of the match-board splint, and which congeal rapidly at room temperature to produce a marked increase in stiffness and breaking strength of the resulting match-splint, and at the same time replace the conventional parafiining of the splint for the purpose of transferring the flame of the burning tip composition to the stick. A preferable form of impregnant may comprise a medium to high melting point parafiin wax combined with a small quantity of opal Wax and carnauba wax, and the latter waxes may be supplanted partly or totally by waxy substances of the class of microcrystalline waxes of the hard or brittle type, stearic acid, ozocerite, montan and ceresin wax.

It is also possible to use an impregnant including resinous substances especially rosin itself, or in modified form, e. g. as salt, ester gum, or modified ester gum. It has been found that especially the products commercially known as limed rosins, when incorporated with parafiin wax, provide excellent impregnants which form clear thin homogeneous melts at practical temperatures in various proportions, though I practically limit the addition to about since, with increased amounts of rosins beyond this point, the combustion of the compound becomes more and more sooty and, also, no appreciable gain in strength is achieved beyond this amount. I do not limit myself, however, to this particular type of modified rosin, having found that plain rosin, hydrogenated rosin, especially after liming, and other salts beside the calcium resinate, especially zinc stearate and also lithium resinate, as well as ester gum and modified ester gums, can be incorporated in paraffin or wax combination melts with varying ease and in varying amounts, though sometimes requiring the addition of a compatibility-promoting substance. I have found that the breaking strength of an ordinary match stick determined at 150 grams plain can be increased up to 450 grams with the addition of rosin derivatives, which latter figure approaches closely the calculated strength of a wooden splint of the same dimensions.

It is also possible to incorporate into paraffin wax varying amounts of materials of the class of the cumar-resins, fused copal gum, and ethylcellulose mostly using third substances to promote compatability and other suitable properties. It has also been found that hard varieties of gilsonite in quantity up to 20% can be incorporated into paraffin wax melts and not only greatly improve the strength of the splint, but also cause a jet-black coloration, which heretofore could only be achieved at a considerable added expense.

I have also incorporated into paraifin-gilsonite combinations an appreciable amount of sulphur with further improvement of the strength and while the smell of burning sulphur in matches is nowadays regarded as objectionable, in this country, I claim the incorporation of sulphur as an addition to my melt since it is efficient and low in price.

It is also possible to incorporate into the melt such other substances which will promote compatability, modify the viscosity of the melt, or melting point of the compound, or both, produce a distinctive color of the stick, impart fragrance to the match, or to the gases of combustion, or both, and improve or retard speed of combustion of the burning wax or act as a glow preventative for the burnt out fiber mass, as for example, small amounts of high-boiling solvents, oil soluble salts of fatty acids and high melting point synthetic waxes for modification of the physical properties especially viscosity of the melt itself; oilsoluble or wax-soluble dye-stuffs and oil dispersible pigments especially the dye base fatty acid compounds for colorings; perfume oils or other fragrancy imparting substances; and derivatives of the class of organic compounds of phosphorus and boron, as well as other compounds of the class of phosphor or boron-acids, which are soluble in the wax melt or finely dispersible in it as flame-retarding and/or glow-preventing compounds.

By way of illustration, and not by way of limitation, it has been found that the following specific formulae will produce excellent results:

Example I Parts by weight White refined paraffin 80 Limed rosin (4.75% Ca(OH)2) 20 Melt together until a clear melt is achieved,

cool to a suitable dipping temperature, preferably not exceeding 275 F. Add dyestufis, etc., if so desired.

Splint strength 450 grams (untreated grams).

Example II Parts by weight White refined paraflin 83 Gilsonite 1'? Combine as under Example I. Color jet black. Splint strength 430 grams (untreated 150 grams).

Example III Parts by weight White refined paraffin 61 Limed rosin 18 Gilsonite 18 A substituted polyamid of stearic acid 3 Combine as under Example I. Splint strength 470 grams (untreated 150 grams).

In Example III above set forth, the. substituted polyamid of stearic acid referred to is more specifically described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,429,664.

Example IV Parts by weight White paraihn 67 Limed rosin Opal wax 7 Carnauba wax 11 Splint strength 520 grams (untreated 150 grams).

I have found that with ordinary match-board the most suitable temperature of impregnation for Example I is 240 to 260 F,, the compound imparting to the stick a pleasing mat effect against a mottled appearance at higher temperatures, and. increasing and useless surface impregnation at lower temperatures. Since, customarily, a paper match is held not lower than at the middle of the splint, it would suffice to immerse the splint to about or even less of the total length into the melt, and still benefit fully from the strengthening action. However, as a result of the stiffening action of the impregnants, and the penetration thereof to the base of the splint and the region of scoring line, the resulting match can be torn off much more readily, a fact that is very important in the case of the use of hard-pressed board of heavier caliper which presents a scoring problem.

It has also been found feasible to pre-impregnate the board in the web on one or both sides preliminary to entering the punch-die with the same or a different wax compound, the sheet taking up from 2% to 10% and, incidentally, promoting a cleaner cut edge and a better, smoother looking splint. Such pre-impregnation of the web alone will contribute only little to the improvement of strength and may not suffice for a satisfactory transfer of flame.

It is true that some efiorts have heretofore been made to achieve greater stifiness in the match splints by incorporation of stifiening agents directly into the paper as it is being made. For instance, various chemicals have been experimentally added to the pulp while in the beater. Such methods, however, are limited to certain types of soluble or dispersed resins or resin-wax combinations which can be precipitated more or less thoroughly by chemical reaction, and even then suffer losses in the white water of the paper machine. The amount of material thus incorporated into the fiber mass is necessarily limited since higher percentages interfere seriously with the dehydration of the web on the sieve, not to speak of the clogging up of screen-wire, press and drying felts, and cylinders. Resin and Waxes, incorporated in this manner, primarily improve tensile strength which is relatively unimportant in a match-splint and do not appreciably improve the stiffness, since the interstices between the fibers cannot be filled sufficiently to cause a material increase in rigidity. Lastly, even if such properties as achieved by the present invention were attainable by beater or paper machine application, it would be impossible to wind this board in the form of rolls due to the stiffness and brittleness of the final product.

In contradistinction to these conventional methods, impregnants of the present invention enter the individual splints from all points around the periphery thus being deposited primarily where the maximum increase of strength can be achieved. Due to thorough satiation of the interstices between the fibers, these impregnants create a state of rigidity and increase the breaking strength, which latter may reach 400% of the breaking strength of untreated matchboard, thereby closely approximating the essential strength properties of white pine.

Although the present invention has been described primarily with reference to improvements in the manufacture of book matches, it should be understood that these same methods and improvements can, with equal facility, be applied to the manufacturing, from paper-board, of single splints which can be employed in making single splint matches which are competitively equivalent and, in many cases, superior to wooden matches.

It should also be understood that changes in the methods, compositions, percentages, and combinations above set forth may be made without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A stiffening impregnant for paper-board having approximately the following composition:

Parts by Weight White refined parafiin 61 Limed rosin 18 Gilsonite 18 A substituted polyamid of stearic acid 3 HERBERT ELLERN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 16,256 Moscini Jan, 26, 1926 632,781 Mar Sept. 12, 1899 2,325,085 Vore July 27, 1943 2,325,167 Vore July 27, 1943 2,495,575 Ellern Jan. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,432 Great Britain of 1895 5,386 Great Britain of 1895 15,574 Great Britain of 1895 213,544 Great Britain Dec. 18, 1924 19,216 Great Britain of 1900 

